Homemade Honey Facial & Rosemary Mint Foot Bath

Recipes For Natural Beauty Treatments At Home

© Lori Nash

Nov 10, 2009

Stress is a problem for most everyone these days, but budget constraints prevent many people from indulging in relaxing spa treatments.

With these recipes, indulging is affordable! Prepare the facial scrub and mask, and while they work, enjoy the hot rosemary foot bath.

Rosemary Mint Foot Bath Recipe

This luxurious concoction softens, soothes and energizes tired or overworked feet.

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 Tbsp. coconut, almond, jojoba or grapeseed oil
• 1 Tbsp. aloe vera gel
• 10 drops peppermint essential oil
• 10 drops rosemary essential oil

Directions

1. Mix oil and aloe well in small bowl.
2. Gently mix in essential oils, one drop at a time, until desired fragrance is achieved.
3. Stir this mixture into a basin filled with hot water (as hot as is comfortable; water will cool quickly).
4. Glass marbles can be added to the basin to massage feet as they soak.

To Use

1. Put basin with foot soak on a towel, near the most comfortable chair in the house!
2. Allow feet to soak.
3. If desired, use exfoliating scrub or pumice stone to remove rough skin and callouses from feet.

Honey & Almond Facial Polish Recipe

Honey contains antioxidants and an enzyme called glucose oxidase, which has antiseptic properties when combined with water. Honey is also a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture from the environment and brings it to the skin, according to the American Honey Producers Association.

Ingredients

• 2 T. jojoba or sweet almond oil
• 4 Tbsp. honey (warmed)
• 1 Tbsp. aloe vera gel
• 4 Tbsp. almond meal (available at health food & larger grocery stores, or make your own by grinding whole raw almonds in a food processor or coffee grinder until they are the consistency of cornmeal)
• 5 drops essential oil, if desired (suggestions - carrot seed, rose, geranium or lavender oil)

Directions

• In a small bowl, mix oil, warmed honey and aloe vera gel until well blended.
• Stir in almond meal.
• Mix in essential oil, one drop at a time, until the scent is just right.

To Use

1. Pull hair back with clips or a headband.
2. Cleanse face and rinse well.
3. Scoop out a small spoonful of scrub, massaging on face and neck with a gentle circular motion.
4. Remove with a warm, moist washcloth until all traces of mask are gone.
5. Follow up with Honey Yogurt Moisture Mask

Honey Yogurt Moisture Mask Recipe

This mask is perfect for dry or sunburned skin; the honey moisturizes, and the yogurt contains lactic acid and enzymes that soothe and smooth the skin. Ground oatmeal gently exfoliates and nourishes the skin.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1 Tbsp. honey, warmed
• 1 tsp. aloe vera gel
• 1 Tbsp. oatmeal, ground into a powder in a blender, food processor or coffee grinder
• 1-2 drops essential oil for fragrance (optional)
• Witch hazel (to tone after the mask is removed.

Directions

1. Mix yogurt, warmed honey and aloe vera gel in a small bowl until well blended.
2. Add essential oil, if desired (rose, lavender or vanilla absolue combine beautifully withe the scent of the honey)
3. Mix in oatmeal powder, one teaspoon at a time, until the consistency is like a thick paste.

To Use

1. Keep hair tied or clipped back so forehead is exposed.
2. Moisten face slightly.
3. Apply an even layer of mask to face and neck, being careful to avoid the eyes.
4. Sit back and relax, allowing the nourishing ingredients in the mask to do their job.
5. After 15-20 minutes, remove the mask with a warm, moist washcloth.
6. Gently wipe face and neck with a cotton ball moistened with witch hazel, a gentle skin toner.
7. Apply moisturizer.

Tips & Cautions

• Using body scrubs can be a messy process, so it's best to apply them in the tub or shower.
• A film of oil will likely be left on the bottom of the tub or shower; be extremely careful not to slip on this and fall! Some baking soda used as a soft scrub will remove the oily film.
• Coconut oil is solid at room temperature; to liquify it, place it in a pan of hot water.
• These homemade beauty treatments contain no chemical preservatives, so they should be stored in the refrigerator to keep them fresh.
• Similarly, the some natural oils will get rancid if not refrigerated, so it's best to refrigerate them.
• Always use essential oil, not "fragrance oil," which is made from chemicals, not plant materials.
• When selecting essential oils to use in body scrubs, make sure they are not skin irritants; oils like rose, lemon, jasmine, lavender and rosemary are all safe to use on the skin.
• If allergies are a problem, test ingredients on a small area before using.

A Spa for the Feet

A Facial is Rejuvenating & Relaxing

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